15 Crucial Difference Between Diarrhea and Dysentery with Table

What is the difference between diarrhea and dysentery?

Diarrhea and dysentery are medical conditions that bring a lot of issues to the stomach. The symptoms associated with each clinical condition tend to set the diseases apart.

The main difference between diarrhea and dysentery is that the former is a disease of the small intestine caused by the bacteria E. coli which results in watery stool. The latter is a disease that affects the colon and results in bloody stool accompanied by abdominal pain.

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Difference Between Diarrhea and Dysentery

Comparison Table (Diarrhea vs Dysentery)

Basic Terms	Diarrhea	Dysentery
Definition	It is an infection that occurs in the small bowel and result in the watery stool that last for at least three days.	It is an infection that attacks the colon and results in both bloody and mucoid stool.
Symptoms and Signs	Watery motion, abdominal pain, and weakness	Dehydration motion with mucoid and blood, weakness, abdominal pain
Vector Agents	Escherichia coli (E. coli)	Escherichia coli (E. coli), Shigella, Salmonella
Part of Body Attacked	Small intestines	Colon
Targeted Cells	Intestinal Lumen and upper epithelial cells.	Upper epithelial cells
Cell Death	No cell death	Cell death usually occur
Stool Type	Watery stool	Mucoid stool with blood
Type of Infectious Agent	Viral	Bacterial
Major Causes	Alcohol abuse, viral infection, and laxative abuse	Protozoa, bacterial infection, viral infection, a parasitic worm
Effect to the Body	Dehydration	Come with a lot of complication
Mortality	No significant death unless there is excessive dehydration	Cause morbidity and mortality
Treatment	Antibiotics, oral rehydration, and home remedies	Over the counter medication Oral rehydration Antibiotics Amoebicidal drugs
Prevention Measures	Intake of liquid diet Unpasteurized milk Drink clean water	Drink intravenous fluids Proper care and rest
Fever	Less common	Quite common
Cramps and Pain	Pain is rare	Quite common on the lower abdomen

What Is Diarrhea?

It is a clinical condition that results in a watery stool that lasts at least three days. Diarrhea is caused by E. coli which attacks the small bowel and the stomach.

Intake of contaminated water and living in unhygienic conditions usually foster diarrhea among people. Some of the common symptoms of diarrhea are watery stool, bloating, fever, and weight loss.

Absolute diarrhea occurs when the symptoms of normal diarrhea exceed five days. Relative diarrhea is the type where the number of watery stools days increases.

The good news is that there are no severe signs associated with diarrhea. The medical condition can be treated by the intake of a rehydration solution.

What Is Dysentery?

It is a severe diarrhea condition where the mucoid stool is accompanied by blood. The clinical condition is caused by bacteria such as E. coli, Shigella, and Salmonella.

These bacterial infections normally attack the colon and children of age between two and four are highly susceptible to the disease.

Some of the common signs of dysentery are abdominal pain, cramps, vomiting, fever, and ulceration of the colon.

The use of rehydration solutions, antibiotics, and intravenous injection happen to be the ideal mode of treatment. Never drink uncontaminated water.

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Main Difference between Diarrhea and Dysentery in Point Form

Diarrhea results in watery stool and it is curable while dysentery results in mucoid stool accompanied by blood.
Diarrhea is caused by E. coli while dysentery is caused by shigella, E. coli, and salmonella.
Diarrhea affects cells of the intestinal lumen and upper epithelial while dysentery affects the upper epithelial cells alone
Diarrhea is less risky whereas dysentery is riskier
Diarrhea results in no cell death whereas dysentery causes cell death and ulceration of the colon.

Similarities between Diarrhea and Dysentery

Both result in body weaknesses
Both are caused by bacteria E. coli
Both causes watery stool
Both are treatable and result in pain
Both have a low mortality rate

Comparison Video

Summary

Both clinical conditions are caused by bacteria E. coli. The infections cause body weakness and other severe symptoms.

Some of the common symptoms are cramps, fever, and abdominal pain. The infection can be treated and prevent from occurring in the future.

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